Aegean Odyssey

AllThingsCruise.com blogger Barbara Ramsay Orr recently cruised the Mediterranean aboard Voyages to Antiquity’s Aegean Odyssey. She explored historic ports from Istanbul to Athens on a cruise entitled All These Begin with Greeks. You can read all about her trip here.

Day Two Because of our flight delay, we missed the morning tour of Istanbul- no Blue Mosque, no Topkapi Palace, no Hagia Sophia for us. I will hold a grudge against Air Canada for a long time for causing that! But happily we were able to join the afternoon tour, and visited the ancient cisterns and the Archeological Museum, with its lovely exhibition of antique tiles. Istanbul is a fascinating city, and I am realizing that we …

August 26, 2012 Sometimes the best laid plans can go right off the rails. Travel today seems to be fraught with problems and delays, and it takes a certain kind of fortitude to navigate past the obstacles. This cruise adventure – a sailing from Istanbul to Athens with Voyages to Antiquity- has been planned for some time. We thought we had taken care of every detail and we had double checked everything. But who can prepare for …

DAY 11 — NAUPLIA, GREECE ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN ODYSSEY — The view from my balcony this morning is the harbor of Nauplia, Greece, and a splendid view of Bourtzi, a beautiful Venetian castle in the middle of the harbor. We anchored out and used tenders to get into Nauplia this morning, disembarking from the Marco Polo deck. The crew handled the tenders expertly, and we were ashore in about 15 minutes. After a 45-minute drive from …

DAY 10 — KATAKOLON ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN ODYSSEY — This morning we arrived at the small fishing village of Katakolon (established in 1857), the gateway to the mystical site of Ancient Olympia, sacred ground to the people of the Peloponnese Peninsula as early as the 10th century B.C. This is a popular stop for cruise ships, offering passengers an opportunity to visit Olympia, and we did so after breakfast. After a 40-minute drive from the port, …

DAY 9 — PREVEZA, GREECE ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN ODYSSEY — This morning we arrived in Preveza, Greece, a town in the region of Epirus, northwestern Greece, located at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. The ruins of the ancient city of Nikopolis lie seven kilometers north of the city. Preveza is a commercial harbor and tourist hub, with a marina, two cinemas, an open theater, many clubs, taverns, and cafes, benefiting from its proximity to the …

DAY 8 — CORFU, GREECE ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN ODYSSEY —What a difference a day makes. Gone are most of the beautiful tan buildings with orange tiled rooftops. Corfu, Greece, exhibits more flat-roofed buildings with off-white stained walls. Building maintenance away from the tourist center of old town seems deferred, indefinitely. Corfu city has a land area of 16 square miles and a population of about 33,000 inhabitants. It’s a much larger city than we have been …

DAY 7 — DUBROVNIK ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN ODYSSEY– Widely considered to be one of Europe’s most outstanding cities, Dubrovnik is an integrated walled city with immense visual appeal. It’s historical and architectural significance has been recognized by UNESCO, which has placed it on its list of World Heritage Sites. Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent …

DAY 6 | KORCULA ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN ODYSSEY– Another morning on my deck with coffee and croissants, this time with a view of truly charming Korcula harbor. The blue water is so clear that the harbor bottom is visible and the cream houses with orange tiled roofs are under a cloudless blue sky. The croissants and other pastries have been quite good on board, but I have found the coffee poor. I have come to …

DAY 5 — SPLIT, CROATIA ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN ODYSSEY —Another morning on the balcony with room service coffee and croissants, this time overlooking the Croatian city of Split with its lovely cream-colored buildings with orange-tiled rooftops. I doubt that I will ever go down to the restaurant for breakfast again. This is just too good. Morning room service consists of a continental breakfast of coffee/tea, juice, fresh fruit and an assortment of pastries and breads. The …

W. Edward Garrett

Professor W. Edward Garrett: Edward has a 40 year career in the travel & tourism industry in both the public and private sectors. He is a published author, and has been a travel writer for over 20 years. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Travel & Tourism and Geography.